Immobilizing splint



July l0, 1956 w. H. WEIDEMANN, JR 2,753,864

IMMOBILIZING SPLINT 2 Sheets-Shee Filed NOV. 2, 1954 July 10, 1956 w. H.WEIDEMANN, JR 2,753,864

IMMOBILIZING SPLINT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 2, 1954 Q LQ f 1 m 0-...V MD. 1 mw f w wf M. l NN ww u M lm ORNEY .f BY

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nited States Patent O IMMOBILIZING SPLINT Walter H. Weidemann, Jr.,Philadelphia, Pa.

Application November 2, 1954, Serial No. 466,343

1 Claim. (Cl. 12B- 87) This invention relates to a device to immobilizeiujured areas of the body such as fracture of limbs and other areas andhas particular application to such immobilization during transportationof the injured person from the scene of the injury to the hospital ordoctors oflice, where surgical facilities are available. The device isadapted for use use by first aid and ambulance personnel, who mayreadily apply it to the person injured and thus provide a reliablesafeguard against complications which often arise on movement of thepatients, such as grinding of fractured segments, dislocation offractured parts, etc. The device, while effectively immobilizing injuredareas of the body, permits the patient to be turned to more convenientpositions without the risk heretofore involved in turning the patientprocedures, as for example, where sandbags were used.

While the device as above noted is primarily intended to assure the safetransportation of injured persons, it is also applicable topost-operative care and treatment of patients, particularly for thosesuffering very severe injuries, wherein it is frequently desirable toimmobilize the injured area of the body during convalescence and in theperiod following surgery.

The device is equally applicable to additional special cases, as, forexample, where, by virtue of advanced age or for other reasons, surgeryshould be avoided. In such cases, the device may be used to maintain theinjured area of the body immobilized and thus enable bones to heal overprolonged periods of time, in a normal fashion. As will become apparentfrom the description below, the device provides effective means forimmobilizing the injured area of the body and at the same time enablingaccess to be had of the immediately adjacent areas, as for example, forthe purpose of changing dressings.

These and other advantageous objects, which will appear from thedrawings and from the description hereinafter, are accomplished by thestructure of my invention, of which an embodiment is illustrated in thedrawings. It will be apparent, from a consideration of said drawings andthe following description, that the invention may be embodied in otherforms suggested thereby, and such other forms as come within the scopeof the appended claims are to be considered within the scope and purviewof the instant invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an immobilizing device embodying theinvention,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l(enlarged),

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view, showing the application of thedevice to the case of a person who has suffered, for example, a legfracture, the legs being shown secured together by the device againstimmobilization,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view thereof taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, l

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view showing another application of thedevice to a leg injury case,

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view showing the applica- Patented July10, 1956 2 tion of the device to a patient who has suffered, forexample, a spinal injury or fracture,

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view, thereof taken on line 7--7 of Fig. 6,and

Fig. 8 is a rear elevational view thereof, taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

As shown in the drawings, the device of this invention comprises amember 10, which may be of canvas or other material cut to define atransverse flexible body portion 11 (preferably rectangular) providedwith means 13, 14 extending from one longitudinal end 17 thereof, forclosing said longitudinal end against the opposite longitudinal end 18thereof, as, for example, shown in Fig. 6. Said means 12 may compriseflexible straps 13, 14 passed through loops 15 on the body portion 11and provided with buckles 16 or the like whereby said straps may betaken up to adjust the body portion 11 to the waist of the person. Itwill be appreciated that in the case of a very thin person, onelongitudinal end (17 or 18) may be overlapped over the other and thestraps tightened; in the case of a very heavy person, said longitudinalends 17, 13 may be spaced apart and the straps 13, 14 tightened tosecure the flexible body portion 11 around the waist. The flexible bodyportion is thus adapted to be positioned in a given plane wherein thelongitudinal axis 27 (Fig. l) of the body portion 11 is disposed in theplane of the waist portion of the body of the person to whom the deviceis applied. A flexible connector portion 20 depends from the lowerlongitudinal edge 21 of the body portion 11, said connector sectionbeing of less width than the body portion, and a flexible limb portion22 of greater width depends from the connector portion 20 which therebyconnects the body portion 11 and limb portion 22 in spaced relation. Theflexible limb portion 22 is preferably downwardly tapered or of keystoneoutline so that when the device is applied to the limb of the person (asfor example, to a persons leg, Fig. 5 or to the back and head, Fig. 8),the said connector portion will conform to the contour of said bodyportions. The body portion 11, the connector portion 20 and flexiblelimb portion 22 are provided with aligned pockets 23, 24, 25 to receivea plurality of slats 26 which are preferably made of any suitableflexible material, such as wood, for example, pervious to X-rays so thatthe device need not be removed in order to X-ray the injured area. Thesepockets and slats converge downwardly so as to fit the general taperingcontour of the leg of a person. This facilitates the close fit of theslats constituting splints to correctly hold the injured membercompletely immobilized throughout the length thereof as required. Thelimb portion 22 is provided with means 28 such as a plurality of straps29 secured to said limb portion 22 and is provided with loops 30thereon; and with means such as buckles 31 to facilitate tightening thelimb portion 22 upon the limb to be immobilized. Thus, for example, in acase of fracture of the leg (shown in Fig. 5) where it is desired toimmobilize the leg, said limb portion 22 may be tightened about said legmember, and if it is desired to also immobilize both legs, that may bedone by passing the lowermost strap around the second leg and tighteningthe same as shown in Fig. 3.

In use of the device for spinal or head injuries, the device is invertedfrom the Figs. 2 and 5 position to that shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. Thetransverse flexible body portion 11 is again secured around the waist ofthe person; one of the end straps 29 of the limb portion 22 may befastened around the head of the injured person, thus effectivelyimmobilizing the back and head. This application of the device isparticularly useful in the case of spinal, back and head injuries.

The configuration of the device provides openings 32, 33, to facilitatethe use of bed pans without disturbing the device proper. The device iscompletely sanitary, and the slats 26 (Fig. 2) may be removably securedto the pockets 23, 2d, 25 by use of any suitable separable fastenermeans closing the ends of pockets 23, for example.

In order to wash or ship the device, the slats may be removed from saidpockets and the complete device, being exible, may then be rolled up forfacility in transportation and for deposition into sterilizingapparatus. By selective loosening and tightening of certain of thestraps 29, access may be had to the body immediately' adjacent -thewound for replacing dressings, etc., without disturbing theimmobilization of the wound.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

An immobilizing splint device for application to a person to immobilizean injured area of the body, cornprising an elongated, substantiallyrectangular, exible main body portion having substantially continuousupper and lower edges, said main body portion being adapted to bepositioned around the Waist of a person, means on said main body portionof said device to secure said main body portion about the waist of theperson, a flexible connector section depending from the lowerlongitudinal edge of the main body portion of the device mediallythereof, a flexible limb portion extending from the connector section,the limb portion and the connector portion each being of substantiallyless transverse dimensions than the length of the main body portion ofthe device, the edges of said limb portion being downwardly and inwardlytapered, parallel pockets medially disposed on said main body and limbportions to receive slats, a plurality of relative rigid slats in saidpockets extending substantially continuously from the upper edge of saidmain body portion to the lower edge of the limb portion, and means onsaid limb portion for securing the same about the limb to beimmobilized.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

